Safety-gate for elevators



(No Model.)

C. SORBBR.

SAFETY @ATB EORWBLBVATORS. No. 328.820. Patented Oct. 2 0, 1885.

N. PETERS, Plmumugmpher, wmhmgmn. D. c.

Uriirnn Sterns! CHARLES SORBER, GF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SAFETY-'GATE FOR LEVATO RS.

EPECIFKATION 'forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,820, dated @etcber20, 1885.

Application filed August 19, 1855. `S: rial No. 174,785. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom, it ntwy concern/ Beit known that I, CHARLns Solenne, ofSt. Louis, in the county of St. Louis and State of Missouri, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Gates forElevators, ot' which the following is a specica tion.

rI`his invention relates to improved safetyhatchesfor passenger andfreight elevators, which are automatically opened by the car and closedafter the same has passed, so as to prevent accidents; and the inventionconsists of an elevatorcar provided with inclined top and bottom bracesterminating in knife-edges, and a pair of laterally-movable hatches thatare guided on rails below the iloors and balanced by suitable weightssuspended from chains and pulleys, said hatches being provided at theirmeeting-edges with rollers, between which the knife-edges of theinclined braces enter, so as to produce the opening or closing of thehatches by the joint action of the ascending or descending motion of thecar and of the balance-weights ofthe hatches.'

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a perspective view ofmy improved safety-hatches for elevators. Fig. 2 is a bottom view of thehatches, showing them in open position; and Figs. 3 and 4 arerespectively a side elevation and a vertical longitudinal sectionshowing the car in the act of opening the hatches.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A A represent two hatches, which arc guided below thehatchway of the floor through which the elevator-car A ascends anddescends. Each hatch A is guided by means of four pairs of rollers, B B,on horizontal rails D D, one roller of each pair being arranged abovethe other roller below the rails D. The rails D D are bent at rightangles at the ends in the shape of hangers and attached to the underside of the door. The rails D D are made long enough to permit theentire opening of the hatches. They are supported at the middle parts bythe vertical guide-posts C C of the elevator-car, through holes of whichthey are passed. The hatches A A are provided at both ends withcylindrical rubber rollers d d, which are set in motion during thelateral motion of the hatches. The

rollers d d project slightlyabove the upper edges of the hatches andmove easily and noiselessly along the under side of the hatchway. Eachhatch A is provided at each side, intermediately between theguide-rollers d d, with a pulley, B', over which pulley and the pulley Bof the other hatch A is passed an endless chain or wire-rope, r, that isalso passed below two pulleys of aweight, S,which is always suspended bythe pulleys in a line centrally between the guide-pulleys B. rlheweights S serve to close the hatches after the car A has passed in itsascending or descending motion through the hatchway.

The elevator-car A is provided at its top and bottom parts with inclinedbraces F of iron or steel, which are provided at their meeting-edgeswith sharp edges f. The upper edge, f, is perforated at the center forthe passage of the elevator-rope, as shown in Fig. 3. The inner rollers,d d, of the hatches A have for the same purpose annular guide-grooves,as shown in Figs. l and 2. The meetingedges f form wedges that enterbetween the inner rubber-covered rollers, d d, of the hatches andgradually separate them, so that the inclined braces move the hatchessidewise and open them snfciently for the passage of the car. The innerrollers, dd, move over the inclined braces and along the side walls ofthe car until the latter has passed the hatches, when the other set yofinclined braces of the car pass along the rollers d d owing to theclosing of the hatches by the action of the weights S S.

The transverse end beams that inclose the space within which the hatchesare moved are provided with buffers E E, which are pushed back by thehatches when they are opened by the car. The buffers E E serve forstarting the return-motion when pressure on the same has ceased. Duringthe descending motion of the elevator-car the hatches rest on the upperguide-rollers B,wl1ile during the ascending motion of the car thehatches rest on thelower guide-rollers B.

The safety-hatches are opened and closed automatically by the jointaction of the car and balance-weights in a noiseless and reliablemanner, and can never be left open by carelessness, so that accidentsand the quick spread ot' re through the hatchways are prevented.

ICO

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The combination of a vertically-reciprocatingelevator-car having inclined top and bottom braces with sharpmeeting-edges, laterally reciprocating and guided hatches havingtransverse rubber-covered end rollers and side guide-rollers, horizontalrails for guiding said hatches, and balance-vveights and chains appliedto the hatches, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a vertically-reciprocating elevator-car havinginclined top and bottom braces with sharp meeting-edges, laterallyreciprocating and guided hatches having transverse end rollers and sideguide-roll ers, Weighted chains applied to the hatches, andspring-buffers for cushioning the hatches, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CHARLES SORBER.

Witnesses: v

J oHN KELLNER, HENRY HOLMANN.-

